5 Minute Refried Beans Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret of refried beans? ›

If you want a thicker refried bean, then use less water. If you want thinner beans, then you will use more broth. Save the leftover bean broth and use it to stir into your leftover beans. As they sit in the refrigerator and chill, they will thicken.

If you're wondering what is the secret ingredient for restaurant-quality refried beans, the answer is fat. Restaurant-made refried beans honor traditional Mexican culinary practices by adding a hearty helping of lard or bacon fat drippings to their recipe.

If you prefer thicker beans, there's a simple solution to boost flavor, add moisture, and thicken refried beans. Cream cheese is the not-so-secret weapon for making refried beans a yummy side dish to accompany rice, or a versatile taco or nacho topping.

Add a bit of fat

You can use olive oil, lard, bacon, beef bones, sausage, or a fatty piece of meat such as a ham hock or steak to rev up the flavor of your beans. While there are many tips for cooking beans, the addition of fat gives your refried beans a luxurious taste.

Yet, since refried beans often contain added fat and salt, they may be higher in calories, saturated fat, and sodium than other beans. These factors may impair your weight loss goals, raise your risk of heart disease, and increase your blood pressure levels.

It is not uncommon for refried beans to have a white layer on top, which is usually caused by the beans being fried in lard or other fat. The white layer is typically made up of proteins and other components that have been released from the beans during the cooking process.

Milk makes refried beans creamy

This liquid can help make your beans smoother and taste richer. Once the beans are tender, it's time to fry them. Garlic is cooked in the oil and then the beans are added. The beans are mashed, and this is where the milk comes in.

Fat and seasoning: Refried beans typically start with cooking beans in fat, such as lard, bacon fat, or vegetable oil. This fat adds richness and flavor to the beans.

Frijoles are eaten with almost every main course alongside arroz. In many Mexican restaurants in America, refried beans are served with a layer of melty, gooey, shredded cheese on top.

You can amp up the spice by adding more hot sauce, or tone it down by adding less — whatever your family prefers! Dice onion and add to the refried beans for more flavor. Add a dash of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt. Garnish with cilantro to improve refried beans taste.

How do you vamp up refried beans? ›

If you don't like bacon flavor in your refried beans (which I don't, but some do), you can simply add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and some oregano to those beans. An alternate addition is adding a bit of your favorite salsa to them.

Many recipes ask you to drain and rinse canned beans, but in this case, that liquid sort of replicates the starchy cooking broth you'd get if you had boiled the beans from dry. It helps make the final product thick, creamy, and luscious.

Ingredients for a creamy refried bean dip typically include refried beans, sour cream, cheese (such as cheddar or Monterey jack), and seasonings (such as garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder). Optional ingredients may include diced tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro.

Those aromatics in the pot will revolutionize the beans' final flavor. The aromatics I tend to use are onions, carrots, garlic, and celery, and then heartier, woodsy herbs, like rosemary, sage, and thyme, which marry beautifully with the earthy-sweet flavor of beans.

Refried beans make the perfect side dish for Mexican food. Serve the beans warm and you could sprinkle some cheese on top. Other uses include, as a filling for burritos, spread over tostadas, dolloped on top of nachos, or simply as a dip on their own.